Being able to play professionally at the highest level in any sport is something that not all athletes can do. The everyday grind of a being a pro athlete takes a certain amount of tolerance both mentally and physically, while the attempt of separating yourself away from the rest of the field can be exhausting.
Oklahoma Sooner standout Kyler Murray not only took the entire college football world by storm this past fall on the gridiron, but he altered the entire direction of his future in the span of just four months.
The former backup quarterback to Baker Mayfield in 2017 took over the reins in August and never looked back. In 14 games as the starter he threw for 4,361 yards, 42 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He became just the second player to record at least 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a season, joining Clemson’s Deshaun Watson (2015). His ability to extend plays with his legs makes him one of the trickiest players to defend, but it is his pin-point accuracy that picks opposing defenses apart. He finished with a 199.2 pass efficiency rating, better than Baker Mayfield’s NCAA-record of 198.9 last year and the Sooners made the playoff for the second straight year while Murray claimed the Heisman Trophy for his on-field performances.
The crazy thing surrounding the quarterback prospect actually has nothing to do with football, or so many thought. Murray was drafted in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Oakland A’s and signed a $4.6 million signing bonus last June. Knowing that he was a star two-sport athlete at Oklahoma, the Athletics let him continue his football career for the Sooners this past season.
What the Bay Area and many people outside of Norman, Oklahoma didn’t know was how this decision was going to play out. I mean seriously, who the hell saw this coming? A player drafted in the first round in the MLB was going to be the best college football player as well? Give me a break!
Not only did Oakland do their biggest prospect a favor, but they shot their own franchise in the foot without even knowing it. Murray declared for the NFL Draft and took part in the 2019 NFL Combine this past week. He is officially set on taking snaps under center this fall, but the question that increasingly looms on the horizon is: did he make the right decision?
By choosing to play football over baseball Murray is passing up a lot of money in both the short-term and long-term. He has to forfeit his $4.6 million baseball signing bonus and his rookie contract in the NFL will be a lot smaller than that of a top-tier baseball prospect.
Although there is far more guaranteed money in baseball (please see Bryce Harper Phillies contract), as well as no salary cap per say, one thing that Murray does have on his side is his position. Not only has the NFL made the QB position one of the safest by implementing new rules to protect them, but the game has changed so much in the past decade that organizations will do everything in their power to secure a high-caliber starter.
Sure, the presumption is that baseball is safer and you can have a longer career, but the reality is that quarterbacks are having longer shelf lives than ever before. Tom Brady and Drew Brees are both playing at elite levels well into their 40’s, and owners are throwing money at the position like crazy.
Would you rather be an outfielder for a small market franchise in the MLB or would you rather be the starting quarterback for an NFL team right out of college?
For Murray, he chose the NFL and it was a no-brainer. Did he really want to ride the bus in Topeka, Kansas playing A or AAA baseball for a year or did he want to become the star in America’s most popular sport?
The NFL Draft is over a month away and there is already more buzz surrounding this year’s Heisman Trophy winner than ever before. Arizona has the number one pick, but after drafting Josh Rosen a season ago, along with the hiring of Kliff Kingsbury as head coach this offseason, it is still a huge question mark as to where Murray will end up. Rumors of him going first-overall are high, but he will be a shoe-in top-10 pick at worst.
Wherever the Texas native lands next month, just know that he chose the correct career path. Murray is an absolute gamer and will cash in on numerous endorsement deals to compensate for his losses in baseball.
Passion and happiness outweighs money and regret every time. I’m all in on Kyler Murray!